“How do we change that?”
“Keep digging. If the principal is right, then there’s a reason the family left town six months ago.” He rocked back and forth as he thought through the scenarios again. “We need to figure out what changed.”
“I’ll reach out again. My buddy up there will have to help now.”
Todd didn’t like the desperate edge to Caleb’s words. “Remember, we don’t know who Eliza is. That might not have been her backpack.”
“You saw the picture on the ID. And you’ve seen her. Do they match?” Caleb dared him to lie.
“I would match them.” Todd matched Caleb’s intensity. “I hope she is your daughter.”
“Thanks.” Caleb shook his head. “I’ll focus. I promise. No case has ever mattered more to me.”
Todd doubted that. “I seem to remember a certain stalker and the woman who’s now your wife.”
“Okay, you’ve got me on that. That was bad. After that one, this is the most important one I’ve faced.” He pulled out his phone but then headed toward the bathroom. “I think I’ll check on Dani before I place that call.”
“Makes sense.” Todd knew Caleb had to want to make sure his wife was okay.
There was no way Dani was fine. She’d convinced herself this was her daughter. Todd didn’t see how that was possible. She was pinning her hopes on this moment being a new beginning. If it was, it would be the start of a hard season, especially if anything he suspected was accurate.
It was time to go see what the doctor had to say about Eliza and her care. Maybe then he could focus on figuring out what had happened and why she lay alone in that bed.
Something was very wrong, and he was determined to figure out what.
CHAPTER 12
Bridget sat with her head in her hands when Todd entered Eliza’s room. He couldn’t tell if she was praying or defeated, so he made some noise as he stepped into the room.
“That good?”
She looked up with a grimace. “We’re out of time.”
“That bad.”
“Yeah. She needs surgery. On her brain. There’s pressure from bleeding. Probably from hitting her head, and the neurosurgeon wants to go in and relieve the pressure. He can essentially give consent in place of her parents, but he doesn’t want to do that unless we can document all the ways we’ve tried to find them.”
“I can tell him everything we’ve done since finding her last night.”
“I told him the same thing, but he wants more. I think the fact that it involves her brain makes him more cautious.”
He could see that. “Riskier.”
“Yes.” She shuddered. “I’m glad, but I also need to be ready to signin loco parentis.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. My supervisor said I must do it. I’m the state rep on site, so I’m the lucky person who gets to decide.” She hung her head. “The pressure is horrible. What if the doctor’s wrong?”
“At a certain point, you have to trust his training.” At the same time, he was glad he wouldn’t have to make the decision. What could he do to make the process easier for her? “Caleb is connecting with his friend on the police force in Wayne. We’re trying to figure out what happened six months ago that caused the Brandenbergs to leave. What else do you need?”
“I need confirmation that the parents died. If they did, then someone would have been appointed her guardian. That person would then need to make the decision about the surgery.” Bridget left thenot meunsaid.
“On it.” Todd pulled out his phone. “I can work on finding out what happened. What about Sydney? Can she or Tricia help too?”
Bridget blinked at him. “I should have thought of that.” She pulled out her phone and started texting. “Bill and Odette, right?”
“Yes.”
